16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Disturbing yet totally captivating, September 21, 2007
I work at a library, and as I was covering this book, I just had to look inside. I'm a fan of satellite images of the Earth to begin with, so naturally my interest in this book was piqued. I only opened to a random page to take a peek, but I ended up completly hypnotized by the images and the concise captions. I literally could not put this book down. This book has an amazing magnetism to it; it draws you in and takes you for a ride around the world.
Unfortunatley, a majority of the photos and explanations reveal the horrid and destructive ways of man altering the Earth and choking the environment. If anyone is in doubt that the Earth is being ravaged, this book will make clear to anyone of any age just how abusive we are of the planet. The section on glaciers is seriously scary. The images are just unbelievable, but sadly, they show the truth.
From aerial shots of New Orleans before and after Katrina to satellite images of the recent growth of Las Vegas, this book explores not just the United States, but the world as well. Mountains after avalanches, volcanos after explosions, land after flood and drought, page after page you are assaulted with powerful imagery.
Mostly focusing on the effects of climate change and deforestation, Earth Then and Now shows the "progress" that modern man has acheived on this noble planet.
I reccomend that everyone on planet Earth read this book. It is a shocking eye-opener, and just simply unbelievable. A perfect coffee table book or addition to any library, you will not be dissapointed in Earth Then and Now.
I just hope they printed it on recycled paper...
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Browsers will love this one...., September 24, 2007
Fred Pearce in his Earth: Then and Now manages to capture the attention of anyone that picks this book up. Wonderfully done, the book compares current photos to historic photos of the same scene from various places around the globe.
Organized into 6 units or chapters ( Environmental Change, Urbanization, Land Transformation, Forces of Nature, War and Conflict, and Leisure and Culture) the images demonstrate how man can change his enviroment whether in a town or around a lake. Perhaps the most striking comparison are the images on page 30 of the Upsala Glacier in Patagonia. Having said that, there are other stunning images throughout the book. The most touching of the chapters in my opinion is the unit dealing with War and Conflict.
At 288 pages, Earth Then and Now will be a book you want to return to again and again. This would make a wonderful gift.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular views of Earth, November 27, 2007
While looking through the new books at the library, this one caught my eye. It wasn't that it was large, but rather the premise: looking at the Earth, the cities, rivers, glaciers, at different moments in time. In many of the photographs, they take the same picture, separated by centuries, decades, years, or minutes.
Contents:
Map Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Environmental Change
Urbanization
Land Transformation
Forces of Nature
War and Conflict
Leisure and Culture
Index and Acknowledgements
The basis of the book, Earth Then and Now: Amazing Images of Our Changing World by Fred Pearce, is set in the Foreword (written by Zac Goldsmith) as a showcase for climate change. The first chapter, Environmental Change, shows hard evidence that we are changing our environment. The pictures of glaciers, ice shelves in Antarctica, the Rhine River, and the Aral Sea are staggering (the latter is a direct result of man - an eco-disaster on par with the Dust Bowl). Once you have reviewed the pictures and the text of that chapter, Pearce brings more change to your attention, urban sprawl, deforestation, strip mining. The results of earthquakes, volcanic activity, hurricanes and tsunamis. The detestation of World War I and II and Vietnam. Finally, beaches in the heart of Paris, resorts at the top of the world, and more.
The photographs are stunning and the text is sobering. By taking photographs and placing them on facing pages, separated by time, the result is an amazing "before and after" affect. The results, as shown in the photos, cannot be disputed. Not only are you shown retreating glaciers, but the effects of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and the United States. Not satisfied with simple photographs, Pearce also bring satellite imagery into play. Thought provoking.
If those stories and photos were not enough, you have to witness the chapter on War and Conflict. Man against man. And yet, we seem to have reclaimed some of the worst effects of war to create some beautiful areas of remembrance and reconstruction. The photos of Dresden, Germany and Caen, Normandy, France are wonderful. The rebuilding of Mostar Bridge in Bosnia (originally built in 1705) is especially touching.
This is an amazing book. It should reach you on almost any level, between the spectacular photos or the text that accompanies the shots, you may not look at the Earth or your environment in the same way. "Thought provoking" is a good phrase and it is definitely worthy of your time.
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